Langford mentions being 'part of the best recruiting class ever to come to Vanderbilt and putting Nashville back on the map' and when he might decide on his college of choice.
Matt Stone, Courier Journal

ATLANTA – Two McDonald's All Americans bound for Kansas played it cool when discussing the potential for adding another five-star recruit in the 2018 signing class.

Center David McCormack called recruiting elite shooting guard Romeo Langford this week fun banter. Point guard Devon Dotson said he doesn't want to become an inconvenience.

But combo guard Quentin Grimes, the No. 11 overall senior in the country, didn't hesitate to make bold proclamation.

"I think if Romeo would just come to Kansas it would be an automatic lock for the national championship next year," said Grimes, a five-star point guard.

Langford said earlier this week he will choose between the Jayhawks, Indiana and Vanderbilt next month. He was a popular figure this week at McDonald's All-American game activities. Chris Mack reached out to the Langford family Tuesday just hours after agreeing to become Louisville's basketball coach.

"Darius has been doing a great job of recruiting him," said Dotson, ranked nationally as the No. 19 senior. "I don't want to become too much. You can't just be like, KU, KU, KU. You've got to slide it in here and there."

The Kansas pitch, according to Dotson, is a simple game of numbers. The Jayhawks, who will play this week in the Final Four, lose seniors Devonte' Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and could potentially see underclassmen Malik Newman and Lagerald Vick elect to turn pro.

"That leaves space for Romeo at the wing spot," Dotson said. "I feel like he'll come in and excel there."

McCormack, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound four-star prospect, said he's known Langford for years and has seen his game continue to improve.

"I think smooth just fits him perfectly," McCormack said. "He's swift, he's explosive and he just does it in the manner that you can only describe as smooth. The way he plays is just the way he acts. You see Romeo once and you get him all at one time. You see his playing style, you'll see his lifestyle in one."

Grimes said he likes the idea of having three guards in the class that could play together on the court next season. Including three-star commitment Ochai Agbaji, the Jayhawks have the No. 5 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. The prospect of adding Langford, ranked the No. 5 overall senior in the country, sent Grimes into game-plan mode.

"We're just trying to pitch him that having three guards on the court will be deadly," Grimes said. "We all can guard multiple positions and can play all three levels out there on the court. Whoever gets the rebound could push it, outlet the ball to the next man and then really whoever has can set up the play and get an easy bucket for himself or a teammate."

"I don't know what he's waiting on," McCormack said. "Might as well just come to KU. We go back and forth every now and then. I feel that we're kind of in the lead as far as recruiting him. I look forward to playing with him. He would be a great addition to the team."

There are bragging rights in play, too. Duke, overwhelming, has the best class in the country, with four McDonald's All Americans here this week. While the No. 1 spot in the rankings is already wrapped up in the Blue Devils' favor, the addition of Langford would give Kansas four players in the all-star event, too.

That's just another angle for the Jayhawks' trio to employ.

"They're all in my ear about coming," Langford said. "There's the Duke boys and they want to have a group like that so they're always in my ear."